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However, despite the fact that half of the waste could be easily recycled or composted, nearly 80 percent will end up in the dustbin. Remember the environment this Christmas, and trim your bin!

Shopping
Do you really need a plastic bag from every shop, for every item you buy? Try putting smaller items into shopping bags you've already got – you'd be amazed at how many you save. Even better, get some re-useable shopping bags, and take them with you to every shop, from supermarket to department store.

Instead of driving to your nearest shopping mall – why not use park and ride, or go on the train? Many city centres offer park and ride for free, saving you the stress of finding a space near the shops, and saving you money on parking charges too!

Recycle your Christmas cards... Save over 250,000 trees!
Every year we send around 800 million Christmas cards in the UK. If we managed to recycle them all, we would save over 250,000 trees!

It is difficult to cut out cards completely, so choose recycled Christmas cards with some recycled paper content and recycle your cards after Christmas. Each year the Woodland Trust runs their card recycling campaign throughout January with collection points in every local Tesco, WH Smiths and TK Maxx stores. Last year they collected over 91 million cards – preventing an amazing 1,813 tonnes of card going into landfill.

Wrapping
This year we will use enough wrapping paper in the UK to gift-wrap the whole island of Guernsey.

Re-use last year's paper, ribbons and bows - you will be helping to protect the environment and saving yourself money. If you didn't save any wrapping from last Christmas why not try undyed brown paper – or glossy magazine pages – to wrap your gifts?

You can even buy wrapping paper made from recyled paper.

Real or Artificial Christmas Trees?
If you can't celebrate without a real Christmas Tree, buy British so it won't have to travel miles; or buy one with roots so that it can be planted in the garden afterwards. Why not grow your own Christmas Tree?

When you're done with your real tree, but have no-where to put it for the rest of the year, most councils will take your tree and turn it into compost.

Artificial trees do not score points when it comes to recycling, but on the plus side; they can be used time after time saving both money and natural resources.  If you have a fibre-optic tree, change the halogen bulb for a low energy LED replacement bulb.

Food Miles
Ingredients for a typical Christmas dinner may have travelled 30,000 miles from producers and growers to the UK dinner table - damaging the environment and undermining local economies. If you change to eating locally grown produce you can enjoy fresher, tastier food, support local economies - and cut out some of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the aviation industry flying these consumables around the world.

Buy loose rather than pre-packed vegetables to reduce waste packaging.
If you have to buy food that is packaged, look for packaging that can be recycled in your area, such as paper and glass. Get into the habit of reusing shopping bags, take them with you when you go shopping, don't accept unwanted bags.